34th Air Division
The 34th Air Division (34th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Custer Air Force Station, Michigan. It was inactivated on 31 December 1969. History Assigned to Air Defense Command (ADC) for most of its existence, from January 1951 – until 1960 the 34th administered, trained, operated and supported assigned units, and placed all available combat capable elements in a maximum state of readiness. Initially, its area of responsibility included Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Texas. Redesignated Albuquerque Air Defense Sector on 1 January 1960. Reactivated on 1 April 1966, to perform Air Defense including all or part of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia assuming responsibility for the missions of the Detroit and parts of the Syracuse Air Defense Sectors. Assumed additional designation of 34th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado and reporting was transferred to NORAD from ADC at Ent AFB in April 1966. The division participated in numerous live and simulated exercises such as Fainting Echo, Apache Arrow, and Fainting Knife. Inactivated in December 1969 as ADC phased down its interceptor mission as the chances of a Soviet bomber attack on the United States seemed remote, its mission being consolidated into North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Lineage * Established as 34 Air Division (Defense) on 1 January 1951 : Activated on 5 January 1951 : Inactivated on 1 February 1952 * Organized on 1 February 1952 : Inactivated on 1 January 1960 * Redesignated 34 Air Division, and activated, on 20 January 1966 : Organized on 1 April 1966 as redesignation of Detroit Air Defense Sector : Inactivated on 31 December 1969 Assignments * Western Air Defense Force, 5 January 1951 – 1 February 1952 * Central Air Defense Force, 16 February 1953 – 1 January 1960 * Air Defense Command, 20 January 1966 * First Air Force, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969. Stations * Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 5 January 1951 – 1 January 1960 * Custer AFS, Michigan, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969 Components Wing * 1st Fighter Wing (Air Defense) : Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 1 April 1966-1 December 1969 Group * 343d Fighter Group (Air Defense) : Duluth MAP, Minnesota, 15 September-14 November 1969 Interceptor squadrons * 15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 20 April 1953 – 1 January 1960 : Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona * 58th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 August 1959 – 1 January 1960 : Walker AFB, New Mexico * 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 15 September – 14 November 1969 : K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan * 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 30 September 1968 – 30 November 1969 : Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan * 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1968 : Duluth MAP. Minnesota * 93d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: : Attached 10 August 1951 – 1 February 1952; 1–5 February 1952 : Assigned 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1960 : Kirtland AFB, New Mexico * 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1968 : Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan Missile squadron * 35th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) : Niagara Falls Air Force Missile Site, 15 September-19 November 1969 Radar squadrons * 612th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Ajo AFS, Arizona, 1 January 1958-1 January 1960 * 661st Radar Squadron : Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 1 April 1966-14 November 1969 * 662d Radar Squadron : Brookfield AFS, Ohio, 1 April 1966-30 September 1969 * 664th Radar Squadron : Bellefontaine AFS, Ohio, 1 April 1966-30 September 1969 * 674th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Osceola AFS, Wisconsin, 15 September-14 November 1969 * 676th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Antigo AFS, Wisconsin, 1 July 1968-14 November 1969 * 684th Aircraft Control and Radar Squadron : Mount Lemmon AFS, Arizona, 1 April 1956-1 January 1960 * 685th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Las Cruces AFS, New Mexico, 1 January 1954-1 January 1960 * 686th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Walker AFB, New Mexico, 1 October 1953-1 January 1960 * 687th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : West Mesa AFS, New Mexico, 1 April 1954-1 January 1960 * 697th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Pyote AFS, Texas, 8 December 1956-1 January 1960 * 739th Radar Squadron : Wadena AFS, Minnesota, 15 September-14 November 1969 * 752d Radar Squadron : Empire AFS, Michigan, 1 April-14 November 1966 * 753d Radar Squadron : Sault Sainte Marie AFS, Michigan, 15 September-14 November 1969 * 754th Radar Squadron : Port Austin AFS, Michigan, 1 April 1966-14 November 1969 * 755th Radar Squadron : Arlington Heights AFS, Illinois, 1 July 1968-30 September 1969 * 756th Radar Squadron : Finland AFS, Minnesota, 15 September-19 November 1969 * 763d Radar Squadron : Lockport AFS, New York, 1 April 1966-15 September 1969 * 767th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Tierra Amarilla AFS, New Mexico, 1 May 1951-8 February 1959 * 768th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Moriarty AFS, New Mexico, 1 May 1951-1 January 1960 * 769th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Continental Divide AFS, New Mexico, 1 May 1951-1 January 1960 * 783d Radar Squadron : Guthrie AFS, West Virginia, 1 April 1966-18 June 1968 * 784th Radar Squadron : Snow Mountain AFS, Kentucky, 1 April 1966-18 June 1968 * 904th Aircraft Warning and Control Squadron : Winslow AFS, Arizona, 1 April 1955-1 January 1960 See also * List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations * Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons * List of United States Air Force air divisions References * Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. * A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado * Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1). * Air Force Historical Research Agency: 34th Air Division Category:Aerospace Defense Command units Air 0034